TechnologyOne Helps Tackle UK Youth Unemployment Through £100,000 Prince’s Trust Patronage

Software firm employees also volunteer to help local schools and colleges

Maidenhead-based software firm TechnologyOne has signed up to a four-year, £100,000 patronage of The Prince’s Trust charity as part of wider company efforts to help turnaround the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK.

Having just raised £5,600 for the charity through TechnologyOne’s Future Steps Challenge which saw 34 employees in Maidenhead, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Spain and Australia walk nearly eleven million steps (the equivalent of hiking from London to Los Angeles), the company is extending its support for The Prince’s Trust.

TechnologyOne will provide £25,000-a-year to The Prince’s Trust over the next four years, with employees looking to raise a further £5000-a-year. The collective £30,000 a year has the potential to help The Prince’s Trust provide:

• young people with an online session with a youth worker to build their confidence, resilience, and motivation
• help young people get in front of potential employers at a day of virtual speed interviews, giving them the chance to access life changing opportunities 
• enable young people to speak to The Prince’s Trust helpline and get the critical advice they need in a time of real uncertainty. 

In addition, TechnologyOne employee’s will also directly help tackle youth unemployment through volunteering activities, by providing:

• Presentations Skills Sessions: to help young people develop presentation and communications skills;
• Employability and Money Management Sessions: to improve skills, job search abilities and improve finances;
• CV Reviews: to help sharpen and improve CVs and covering letters for young people seeking employment; and 
• Technology Skills Workshops: To give young people in the area a better understanding of the technology sector and how to develop a career in it.

Ed Chung, TechnologyOne CEO, said:

“TechnologyOne and The Prince’s Trust have a shared vision to empower young people. It is through investing in the youth, the TechnologyOne Foundation believes we can have the biggest impact. By becoming a Patron of The Trust, we want to create a partnership that provides valuable impact to young people.”

“This isn’t just about charitable giving. There’s a skills shortage in the UK technology sector and by inspiring young people to make a positive difference to their lives, no matter what their circumstances, our community can benefit from a whole new generation of diverse thinking.” 

Sharon Arbuckle, Senior Head of Corporate Partnerships at The Prince’s Trust, added:

“Youth unemployment rates are rising, and young people across the UK have been heavily affected by the pandemic. We must support young people to upskill, retrain and access job opportunities, or else we risk losing their ambition and potential to long-term unemployment – to the detriment of their future and to the recovery of our economy.”

“TechnologyOne’s employees are already showing amazing dedication when it comes to helping turnaround the lives of disadvantaged young people. Through their new patronage of The Prince’s Trust, and membership of our Technology Leadership Group, we hope we will be able to empower thousands more young people to transform their lives and give them the confidence and skills to succeed in life.”

The partnership with The Prince’s Trust is part of a wider initiative by the company, which through its TechnologyOne Foundation, gives back to the communities in which employees live and work. The Foundation is committed to making a difference to underprivileged and at-risk youths, by empowering them to transform their lives and create their own pathways of success. Its goal is to provide young people with every opportunity to positively impact the future. As part of its pledge TechnologyOne gives employees 2.5 days volunteer leave a year to give back to their charity, social enterprise or community organisation of choice. 

In recent years, TechnologyOne has engaged in volunteering and fundraising campaigns with local community organisations including Foodbank, Britwell Community Centre and “Recycled Teenagers”. 

Since the pandemic began, TechnologyOne has adapted its plans to provide 100% virtual volunteering support to charity partners in the areas of youth employability, personal development and wellbeing.

TechnologyOne volunteers have taken part in employability seminars, helping young people gain knowledge and confidence by sharing their career journeys and conducting mock interviews.

The company’s employees have also participated in Youth Talk for Schools participating in virtual classroom teacher led activities for a number of schools in Slough. Lessons covered apprenticeships and careers, as well as employability topics including teamwork, resilience, and leadership.